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L. H. 'MORRILL or WE sT C UMBERLAND, MAINE. Letters'Patent No. 83,875, dated November 10, '1868.

IMPROVEIVIENT IN HORSE-RAKES The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making pnt of the lame.

To all who-m Ait may concern:

Be it known that I, L. H. Moneum, ot' West Oumberland, in the county of Cumberland, and Sta-te of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improved Rake; and I hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others to make and use my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specitication, in whichy Figure 1 is a side elevation, with one wheel removed, so as to show the clutch.l

Figure 2 is a front new, in det-ail, of the clutch on the axle. A

Figure 3 is an edge view otl the attachment of the wheels to the axle.

My improvement relates to a method of more easily elevating the teeth of a horse-rake, when, in moving across the eld, and collecting the hay as itlies on the ground, it reaches a windrow where the amount col-k lected is to be deposite-.ds The whole headA has then to be elevated, to let the accumulated hay rest on thc windrow, and so remains until the teeth of the rake 'have passed over the row.

This is ordinarily done by simply pressing upon a lever, @,by the weight of the driver, or by the exertion of strength on the lever sutiicient to raise the teeth trom the ground. This is laborious and diiiicult. My invention seeks to relieve the driver of this work, and have it accomplished by the draught-animal, or, in other words, by the movement of the wheels ofthe rake.

b is the axle of the rake. Upon this axle is the sliding clutch c.

d is a pin set on the axle.

e are recesses on the end of the clutch next to the pin d.-

fis a spring that tends to keep the clutch pressed away from the pind.

When the recesses e are not engaged with the pin (l, the axle b turns within the clutch, and does not carry it around.

y is a lever with a fulcrum against the frame ofthe rake, by means of which the clutch c can be pushed up, so as to insert the pin d in one of the recesses e. This is effected by simply pushing the lever from the drivers seat, h. When so pushed, it is evident that the clutch, being engaged with the pin l,.will be carried around with the axle b in its revolution.

Attached to the clutch c is the chain fi, which is connected with the lever a. As the axle revolves, and carries with it the clutch c, one of the recesses ebeiug pressed over the pin d, the chain i is wound around c, and thus the end of the lever a drawn downward.

This lever a is connected with the lifting-arms k, as common, and as its forward end is drawn down, it lifts at the back end of the lifting-arms It, and so lifts up the teeth m.

When the windrow is passed, it is desirable that the clutch should be released from the pin d, and this is effected as follows, even it' the driver continues to draw on the lever or arm y longer than necessary.

n is a vertical arm extending down from the frame o ofthe rake, in the centre ofthe same, to the axle.

p is awedge-shapcd dog attached to the clutch. When the clutch and pin :l are engaged, and the clutch revolves withthc axle, it will continue to do so until the wedge-shaped dog p comes in contact with the vertical arm n., when, by the slope of the dog p, the clutch will be pushed back, the lever a will rise, and the 'teeth m drop again.

The clutch can bc made oi' such size as thus to lift the teeth just long enough for the purpose of passing over the windrow, and then to let them drop again.

Thus thc driver is released from thc labor of lifting the entire head ot' tlnl rake, this boing accomplished by the inotionottlnI rake and the draught ofthe animal.

I do not claim a device in which l ratchet-Wheel is attached to one ot' the supporting-wllccls, upon which is loosely iittcd a sleeve provided with an arm, conncctcd by a rod to thcralwl1cad, and with a pawl pivoted to thc arm, which, by spring-levers and a bent rod, is thrccd to .ngagc with the ratchet at pleasure, thereby carrying tbrward the arln and raising the rake. A stop on the axlrl disengnges the pawl. The operation of mino .is diiibrent ii'oxn this, because l use no ratchet or pawl, and the disengagement is effected by a small inclined plane on one part of the clutch. Moreover, my invention is not attached to the side of the rake or one end of the axle, but to the centre. This makes the draught even 011 both sides. lWhen the device that lifts the rake is attached to one end of the axle, instead of at the centre of the axle, the strain that lifts the rake bears unevenly on the cattle, and it is this that my invention seeks to avoid.

A-similar difference exists between my invention and the patent ,of Daniel G. Adelsberger, January 23,1866. The same peculiarity is seen in the patent of S. R. Nye, March 13, 1866. 1n the patent` of J. A. Shinenian, October 8, 1867, the attachment is also to the rakewheels.-

. What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

p The sliding-clutch c on the axle b, together with its spring f, chain i, lever y, and pin d, set in the axle b, all as and for the purposes set forth, the clutch being attached to the axle at the centre, to make the draught upon the cattle even when the rake-head is being lifted.

L. n. MORRILL.

Witnesses W. H. CLIFFORD, WM. FRANK SEAVEY. 

